Privacy Policy - Dulwich Movers

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Dulwich Movers customers in our service area and explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when providing moving, removal, packing, storage, and related services.

1. Introduction

Dulwich Movers is committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We respect the privacy of customers, prospective customers, household members, business clients, suppliers, and any other individuals whose personal data we process in connection with our services. This Privacy Policy is intended to meet the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy applies to personal data we process as a controller in relation to our business operations. It covers information collected before, during, and after the provision of our services, including enquiries, bookings, quotations, removals, deliveries, storage arrangements, invoicing, complaint handling, and customer support.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity data: name, title, and, where necessary, identification details.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and correspondence details.
Service data: moving dates, property access details, inventory information, packing instructions, special handling requirements, and service preferences.
Payment and transaction data: billing details, payment status, invoices, receipts, and transaction history.
Communication data: records of calls, emails, messages, notes from customer service interactions, and complaint information.
Technical data: limited device and usage information collected through our digital systems where relevant for security and service administration.
Special category data: we do not intentionally collect special category data. However, such data may be disclosed to us incidentally by a customer, for example where access needs or health considerations are relevant to a move. Where this occurs, we will only process it where lawful and necessary.

We may also receive personal data from third parties, including property agents, landlords, solicitors, storage partners, or subcontracted service providers, where this is needed to deliver the requested service.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to plan, manage, and deliver removal and storage services;
to confirm appointments, arrange logistics, and coordinate access;
to process payments, send invoices, and maintain accounts;
to communicate with customers about service changes or issues;
to manage complaints, claims, and dispute resolution;
to comply with legal, regulatory, insurance, and tax obligations;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
to improve our services, operations, and customer experience.

We will only use personal data in ways that are compatible with the original purpose for which it was collected, unless we have a valid legal basis to do otherwise.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Dulwich Movers relies on the following lawful bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with a customer, including preparing quotations, arranging services, transporting goods, invoicing, and handling account matters.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, record-keeping, and regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by the rights and freedoms of the individual. This may include service administration, fraud prevention, internal auditing, customer communication, and business improvement.

Consent

Where required by law, we will rely on consent. If we ask for consent, it will be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. Individuals may withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests and Public Task

These bases are unlikely to apply in most moving-service situations, but if they do, we will only use them where necessary and permitted by law.

5. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services or meet legal obligations. These third parties may act as processors on our behalf or as independent controllers in their own right.

Examples of processors and service partners may include:

IT and hosting providers that support our systems and data storage;
payment processing providers that handle card or bank payments;
accounting and invoicing platforms;
customer communication and scheduling tools;
storage and logistics partners;
professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, and legal advisers;
subcontracted removal teams where used to fulfil a booking.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to keep personal data secure, and to use appropriate technical and organisational measures. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose personal data where necessary to public authorities, courts, regulators, law enforcement, or other third parties if required by law or to protect our rights, customers, or business interests.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Enquiry and quotation records are generally kept for a limited period unless they lead to a booking or ongoing relationship.
Customer service and contract records are kept for the duration of the service and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle disputes, claims, and complaints.
Financial and accounting records are kept for the period required by applicable law.
Security logs and technical records are retained only as long as necessary for monitoring, troubleshooting, and protection purposes.

When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in accordance with our retention practices and applicable law.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling procedures. While no system is completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce risks and respond promptly to suspected incidents.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will only do so where appropriate safeguards are in place and where the transfer is permitted by applicable data protection law. Such safeguards may include adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, individuals may have the following rights in relation to their personal data:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Right to erasure: to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit the way we use your data in certain cases;
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format;
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent;
Right to complain: to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal limitations. We will assess each request in accordance with applicable law.

10. How We Handle Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data except where it is incidental to a household move and necessary for service delivery. In such cases, we will limit processing to what is necessary and proportionate.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. The most recent version will apply to all Dulwich Movers customers in our area. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how we process personal data.

12. Summary of Key Points

We collect only the data needed to provide moving and related services.
We process data on lawful bases including contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where needed.
We share data only with trusted processors and other necessary third parties.
We retain data only as long as necessary and then delete or anonymise it securely.
Individuals have rights over their data, including access, correction, deletion, objection, and complaint rights.

By using Dulwich Movers services, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.